Acoustic office pods: sizes, dB ratings and how to choose

Pod acoustics are quoted as a reduction: the difference in sound pressure between the inside of the pod and the room it stands in. A pod rated at 29 dB reduction takes normal speech from clearly intelligible to a background murmur. It is not a recording booth and no pod on the market is; the goal is that neither side of the wall distracts the other.

Compare like with like. A figure measured to ISO 23351-1 describes speech level reduction under a defined method; an unlabelled number in a brochure describes nothing you can verify. Ask which standard applies before comparing two products.

Occupancy drives everything else — footprint, ventilation and power. Work backwards from the actual use rather than the floor plan.

• One person, calls and video: a single booth with a shelf, a stool or perch, and a screen-height surface.
• One person, half a day of focus: a larger single with a proper desk, a chair that fits, and ventilation you can sit inside for hours.
• Two to four people: a meeting pod with seating on both sides and room for a wall-mounted screen.
• More than four: at that point a built room is usually cheaper than a pod, unless the space is leased and has to be reversible.

Most pod problems are logistical, not acoustic. Before ordering, confirm the delivery route: door widths, lift dimensions and floor loading. Confirm how the pod is powered and whether the ventilation is continuous or triggered by occupancy. Confirm whether assembly is included, how long it takes and whether the building allows it during working hours.

Ask what happens if you move. Pods that ship flat and bolt together can be dismantled and rebuilt in a new office; a monolithic shell often cannot.

Kabin builds acoustic rooms for the open floor from laser-cut, powder-coated steel shells with Camira Quest acoustic panels, Gabriel Grain upholstery and Bolon flooring. Every Kabin pod ships flat on standard pallets and is assembled on site in hours. Feltline supplies the softer end of the same problem: recycled PET panels, screens and baffles that take reflected noise out of a room without enclosing anyone.

Kabin models are configurable in 3D on their product pages — finish, panel and layout choices are made on the page before you order.

• Acoustics category
• Kabin
• Feltline

• Sit-stand desks for teams: what to specify and what to skip
• Office storage and lockers: planning a floor that works
• Buying office furniture as a business in the EU: VAT, invoicing and lead times